Understanding reinforcement

1/22/2026

Here are some basic behavioral truths.

People are motivated to do things in order to get access to the things, people, activities, and sensations that they like.
People will either avoid or try to make things stop when they are uncomfortable or in pain.
If a person knows something bad might will happen if they do something, they will be less likely to do it (if they can).
If something a person enjoys is taken from them, they will act to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future (if they can). (if possible).
If a person has a history of doing something to get what they want but they are suddenly unsuccessful, they will not keep trying the same thing over and over again. OK, actually, they will, usually. In fact, they might do even more of it, but then they eventually stop, or try something else instead. They might try again later, even after some time has passed.
If a task feels hard or overwhelming to a person, breaking it down into smaller steps is the best way to teach it.
When a person is currently unable and unmotivated to do something they need to learn, they require encouragement at each small step they make toward the goal so they don’t give up.
People will be more likely to do hard things if they get something really, really good afterward.

These are obvious truths, right? They all make perfect sense from a logical and emotional perspective. They are all also behavioral principles. Here they are again, with the corresponding jargon and examples attached.

1. People are motivated to do things in order to get access to the things, people, activities, and sensations that they like. (Positive reinforcement)

Positive reinforcement means that a person is GIVEN something enjoyable to them after a particular behavior. As a consequence, they are more likely to engage in this behavior again in the future. For example, a child is given dessert after he eats his veggies. In the future, he is more likely to eat his veggies to get his dessert. Here are some fun facts about reinforcement.

Anything can be reinforcing to a person. It is a completely individualized phenomenon.
- Have you ever seen a baby more interested in a cardboard box than the toy it protected?
- Have you ever noticed some people are actively drawn to “drama,” and some people actively avoid it? Some people are reinforced by dramatic social interactions. For this reason, it is important not to overreact to any problem behavior, because oftentimes, this reinforces it.
Most reinforcing things are not ALWAYS reinforcing. It depends on some things.
- If a person has had too much of something, it won’t be as reinforcing anymore. After all, if you like cupcakes, would you like to eat three cupcakes? Maybe you would. If so, could you eat a hundred of them? (This is referred to as satiation and deprivation.)
- If a person can get something for free, why on earth would they work for that same thing? For example, if a learner always has access to a tablet, it won’t work to use the tablet as a reinforcer for behavior. (This is called Contingency.)
- When a reinforcer is given more quickly after the behavior, it is a more effective reinforcer. (This is the Immediacy effect.)
- The reinforcer needs to be big enough to make an impact, but not so big that it makes it difficult to motivate the person again in the future. For example, if a child was gifted with a trip to Disneyland when they earned straight A’s on their report card, what will they expect next semester? (Size)
It is extremely easy to accidentally reinforce the wrong behaviors! We don’t always understand the types of things that are motivating for another person, so it is easy to accidentally give them what they want, even when we don’t mean to.
- If a person is motivated by attention, sometimes the type of attention doesn’t matter. Here are examples.
  - In a classroom, a teacher may single out a child for being loud. “Sam, you need to stop. It isn’t OK to be so loud. It hurts my ears. It’s not nice.” Sam stops yelling in the moment. The teacher is relieved, and congratulates herself on a job well done. Unfortunately, the next day, she finds she needs to give him this individual attention again. And again the next day. What the teacher does not realize is that the thing that momentarily stops a problem behavior is almost always the reinforcer. The attention she gave him, regardless of the TYPE of attention, was the reinforcer.
  - A child runs into the street, laughing and looking at her dad. Dad runs after his daughter, yelling the entire time, his face turning red from fear and anger. The child then laughs harder, because Dad is chasing her. Plus he is being loud and turning funny colors. This is absolutely hilarious. She can’t wait to play this game again.

2. People will either avoid or try to make things stop when they are uncomfortable or in pain. (Negative reinforcement)

Negative reinforcement means that something uncomfortable or painful has been removed after a particular behavior. As a consequence, they are more likely to engage in this behavior again in the future. For example, if a person gets a sun burn, rubbing aloe on it removes some of the pain. In the future, I will be more likely to use aloe on a sun burn. Here are some fun facts about negative reinforcement.

Negative reinforcement is by far the most misunderstood ABA principle. It is used incorrectly in pop culture much, much more often than it is used correctly. It is confused with positive punishment consistently in media. It is NOT a punishment. It is the opposite. Something is removed from the environment, not given. The behavior increases, not decreases.
Negative reinforcement is extremely powerful. Equate the feeling with “relief.”
- When a person is bored, the thing they do to remove that uncomfortable state will be reinforcing.
- When a person has headaches, taking medicine and having some of the pain relieved is highly reinforcing.
- Many individuals with autism become overwhelmed very quickly by social situations, loud environments, crowds, etc. Escaping these situations, whatever it takes, can be highly motivating.
It is very easy to accidentally reinforce a child who does not demonstrate “typical” social motivation.
- For example, a child pushes other kids on the playground and is “benched” (they have to sit on a bench during recess). The next day, they do it again. And the next day. And the next. When behavior continues to occur, we know by definition that the behavior is being reinforced in some way.
Reinforcement gets tricky when it comes to relationships. Here is an example. Parents and teachers are often highly reinforced by negative reinforcement. Why? Mostly because they are often exhausted, over-worked, and overwhelmed. These are aversive states of being. They will often do what it takes to get relief from how they are feeling. Here are examples of how this can go wrong.
- Mom is exhausted. Her teenage daughter starts talking, but Mom can’t focus and she doesn’t respond. Her daughter then starts whining. Mom doesn’t respond. Her daughter then starts yelling, “Mom! I am trying to ask you a question!” Mom finally responds. “Fine! What?” Her daughter asks for the car keys, and Mom gives them to her right away.
  - In this example, her daughter tried two different ways to get her mom’s attention but they didn’t work so she escalated her behavior. It finally worked on the third try. As a consequence, her daughter was POSITIVELY REINFORCED for yelling, because that is when her mom gave her attention, which then in turn allowed her access to the car. Mom is NEGATIVELY REINFORCED, because the yelling stopped. Then she gave her the keys, ensuring the yelling would stop for a long time.

3. If a person knows something bad might will happen if they do something, they will be less likely to do it (if possible). (Positive punishment)

Positive Punishment means that something uncomfortable or painful has been given after a particular behavior. As a consequence, a person is LESS likely to engage in this behavior again in the future. For example, a person touches a hot stove and gets burned. In the future, they are less likely to touch a hot stove so they avoid getting burned.

Positive punishment is a difficult topic to discuss because literally everyone hates it. Literally everyone has terrible memories associated with it. For this reason, the science of ABA has researched it a great deal and here is what conclusions have been drawn.
- It is a natural part of life and there is no getting away from it. We can (and should) try to prevent punishing events, but bad things will happen to people, no matter what we do. For example, if a child runs too fast going down hill, they will likely fall and hurt themselves. Parents can try to warn their kids to avoid getting hurt, but kids will experiment, they will forget, and sometimes they will learn lessons “the hard way.”
- The legal system is built on a system of punishment, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. There are exceptions of course, and there are some wonderful corrective programs out there based on reinforcement, but it’s rare.
- Just like reinforcers come in all shapes and sizes, punishment does, too. Bottom line? A person might INTEND to reinforce a behavior, but accidentally punish it instead.
  - Toys that make loud noises might be a reinforcer for one sibling and a punisher for another.
  - Going on a roller coaster can be a reinforcer for one person and a punisher for another.
  - Enthusiastic praise, high fives, and drawing attention to a person can be a punishment for some people.
  - Things that cause pain to one person might not have the same punishing effect as another person. Some people don’t feel pain the same way.
- Punishment works. It does. But it also has a lot of side effects, especially if a person is punished by another person. Lots of them. Here are some examples:
  - Even when the punishment occurs through natural means (such as a person cutting their finger on a sharp knife because they were not paying attention), it can be traumatic. The emotional effects of punishment can be significant and can scar a person emotionally.
  - It can stunt developmental and emotional growth, because of the fear a person can develop from it. If a person is so scared of knives because of the time they hurt themselves, they might never learn to cook. If a person is scared to drive because they were in a car accident, they might act so fearfully on the road that they make bad choices and endanger themselves further. These are extreme examples, of course, but we have all heard these kinds of stories. Trauma is real, and it is important for people who have been traumatized to get help to overcome these feelings.
  - In situations in which a person is delivering the punishment (such as a principal giving a child detention), the person delivering the “punishment” will temporarily or permanently damage their relationship with the person they are punishing.
- The bottom line: punishment works but at a huge cost. It is best avoided whenever possible, but it is not always avoidable. Punishment is a natural consequence and it is also built in to the structure of our society.
- The BACB is very clear about the ethics of punishment.
  - Reinforcement works much better than punishment.
  - Planned punishment should be used carefully and under the direction of an expert on minimizing the side effects.
  - It is an absolute last resort, after all other possible interventions have failed.

4. If something a person enjoys is taken from them, they will act to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future (if they can). (Negative punishment)

Negative Punishment means that something enjoyable to a person has been removed from them after a particular behavior. As a consequence, a person is LESS likely to engage in this behavior again in the future. It refers to the removal of privileges. For example, if a child lets go of their balloon outside, the balloon floats away, and now they don’t have the balloon anymore. In the future, they hold on tighter to the balloon.

Parents of older children often use this strategy by “grounding” their kids from socialization or access to electronics. This is a really tricky strategy, however, and can be challenging to use. And remember, it is a punishment, so the same rules apply: use as a last resort and with supervision from a professional.
Negative punishment is a very common strategy used in schools and other systems. Schools will often create rules about attending class, getting a particular grade point average, and general good behavior. If these rules are not followed, they may have policies that disallow attending school events, the privilege of joining sports teams, and other activities. Having policies is essential for systems like schools, of course, but they are flawed. After all, who is to say that these activities are preferred? The “threat” of being removed from sports teams and social activities is no threat at all to someone who does not play sports and does not like to socialize!
Negative punishment occurs as a natural consequence, especially when it comes to how people treat their things. If a child plays too rough with a toy and it breaks, that is sad, but an expected result. This is an extremely unfortunate and yet important life lesson that sometimes takes a lot of practice for children to understand. It is a good lesson to learn “when it is cheap” (with toys that are easily replaceable). If this is not a lesson a child has learned, it is best to avoid allowing them easy or unsupervised access to expensive items such as tablets, remote control cars, etc. It is important for parents not to panic when these things happen, even when their kids are besides themselves with grief over the loss of the item.